Alice Fletcher Forest Of Dean (General)

by Mike Pinchin , Bedford, England, Thursday, June 22, 2017, 19:54 (2500 days ago) @ Ianbevanjones

BNA Gloucester Citizen - Tuesday 18 September 1934

DEAN FOREST CHILD'S DEATH
SEQUEL TO FALL IN HOPFIELDS

The Coroner for South Herefordshire (Mr. E. L. Wallis) held an inquest at Canon Frorne, near Ledbury, last evening on Eva Fletcher, the seven-years-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher of Cannop, Forest of Dean, near Coleford, who died on Saturday in a hop-pickers' camp. Mrs. Emily Fletcher told the Coroner she went to the Canon Frome district in August for the purpose of hop-picking. Eva got up on Saturday as right as ever and never complained. Her daughter seemed to go faint in the hop yard that morning, however, and witness took her back to their tent. She died at 1 o'clock. Mrs. Ruth Fletcher, an aunt of the child, of Gorsty Knoll, near Coleford, said as Eva came out of the hop fields on Friday night she had fall but seemed none the worse for it. On Saturday morning when she saw her she seemed all right. Later her father came to her and said he was going for a doctor. Witness went to the tent and saw Eva lying outside. The next thing she heard was a nurse saying the child was dead.

Ruptured Liver

Nurse Theodora Mary Crabtree said she was called to the farm on Saturday morning. On arrival she found the child looking desperately ill lying in some blankets in the field. At about 10 o'clock she thought the child was dead as she had stopped breathing. Witness listened to her heart, however, and found it was still beating, so she applied artificial respiration, hoping the doctor would arrive. The child did breathe again, and actually died at 10.20 a.m. The doctor did not arrive till later. Dr. H. A. Picton said the cause of death was haemorrhage into the abdomen from a ruptured liver. The Coroner said that although it was a straightforward case it was unusual, in that the injury was caused by such a fall. Children usually fell about without hurting themselves at all. The jury returned a verdict that death was due to haemorrhage into the abdomen from a ruptured liver, caused by a fall.